Tuesday, 30 April 2013

My experience with tournaments or any sort of competition is probably lower than most of you reading this. I've only really entered a few local events, never dreaming of entering Grand Tournaments and the like (probably due to the excessive competition attitude).

My first was a local under 16's event, coming third in the battles and first overall (knowledge and having the only fully painted and non-commission painted army helps). The second was a doubles, though I have long forgot where I came. I'm sure it wasn't last. Then last year I also partook in another doubles (a blind doubles) coming fourth overall. So, not a terrible set of results over the years. I've decided to enter an event this year, Wartorn's 1500 points 40k tournament singles. This is the first singles event I've joined in a long while, and in way's I'm not sure what to expect, as whilst it is local, it is in a far bigger venue with more people attending.

In most cases, the armies I've played have been 'fun' lists and not the uber-hardcore exploitation lists. I'm expecting some people to do that though, but I'm also sure the majority will play for fun, as the costs of the event are for a charitable cause. Well, that's the stance I will be taking. I will have some good units, but I am aiming for a more fun list. Here is my first draft of my 1500 point list

What I have here is a list which plays to my theme, and has a number of units able to tackle most types of units. The heavies are where my main fire-power is, the havocs are ideal for anti-infantry, anti-transport, and could even handle a flyer with the amount of high-powered shots. The vindicator is my big blasting unit, able to take on tanks or squads; the latter will be vulnerable to the soul blaze hits granted by the gargoyles. The Land raider's main role is to drop off the mutilators and sorcerer. The re-rolls granted by VOTLW will be very handy in smashing anything from a space marine codex, plus if I run a biomancy sorcerer, I could see these guys buffed even further.

The big cultist mobs are for 'bagging and tagging', acting as my main objective holders. the auto/stubber squad will sit on my own objective, whilst the other mob will run ahead. Why twenty-ONE though? Truth be told, I had four points spare and extra bodies is always good. The Thousand sons are able to either stay back or charge ahead in thw wake of the Land Raider, thanks to their Rhino. The sorcerer allows them to be scoring troops choices, and of course is thematic. The Drake gives me some nice areal support against ground targets like tanks with its str8 gun, or against other flyers.

My main worries about this list are AV14 spam and flyer spam (i.e. more than one). I am capable of taking down such units, but if they are copy-pasted throughout a list I might struggle. Armour shouldn't be a problem though if I can get my mutilators in close, 3 pairs of chain-fists can carve up anything. The Drake's Daemonforge rule will help against those targets that must die soon, or against high-armour. This is a first draft though, and I'm still waiting approval of Forgeworld units, allies and fortifications, so this list may change a lot or a little.

Whatever happens, my core will be the Thousand Sons and sorcerer, so I need to get at least those guys painted for now. I'd be interested to hear your feedback, but do remember that I want to stick to my theme (tank-heavy thousand sons).

Saturday, 27 April 2013

I have been in the mood, for some time, to make my own unit. Having looked at the rules for the Rapier laser cannon, I felt like adjusting the rules so my Thousand Sons can use them. Of course they would only be used for friendlies and Apocalypse games, but I fancied the challenge. I also needed a cheap alternative model, which is where the Mantic Hailstorm cannon comes in, fresh from their Warpath range and in an unusual VHS style box.

My first thoughts are "not bad". they are sizeable beasts, and for around £10 a go they are a really good price, a third of the official model's cost.

The main assembly of the body-3 pieces

The model comes in several pieces, all of which slip together easily; there are no instructions but to be fair, the model is simple enough to build. No options though which is disappointing. The parts were not on a sprue, but did look like they were at one point and were ripped off, rather than cut. This has left some slight damage where too much of the sprue was ripped off and took some of the model with it, leaving a puckered dent or chunk of mauled plastic/resin.

I was disappointed about a few more things. First off, the design is a tad...basic to what I'm used to. Quite a lot of the model is chunky and simple, with a number of 'soft details';apart from the treads, they're well done. Of course I can add my own details and change the model about, which is one good thing. I do have to saw off the seat for my conversion, as the whole middle body is one piece. Parts of the model were warped, some of them the really thick pieces like the track units. One of the gun-shields was quite badly warped, it's a good thing I don't need that part.

On one of the models, I was also missing something, the tip of one of the gun batteries. I won't need it in my conversions, but it would have been nice to have got the full kit (I know, it's probably a one off).

Overall, a 6/10 for this model, for those who like a number. It is cheap and has potential, but the quality, whilst not appalling isn't the best I've been blessed with lately. Here's a summary of the good and bad things about the Hailstorm gun:

Thursday, 25 April 2013

I have been a very happy servant of the Dark Gods this week. After much frustration with my postal service for loosing two key parcels for my army refurbish, I am happy to report that one package (from Anvil industries) and another (from Putrid painting) have arrived, as well as my prize from The Chilling Wargamers (which I am appearing as a guest on tonight, 7pm GMT, be there...).

Let me briefly talk about the model I won. It's a Scribor knight, it would have been a dwarf/bunny, but a scrambled warp-signal meant this was sent instead. Still, a very good model, so I'm not disheartened. I'll be reviewing this model later on, and will probably paint it up as a one off piece not for my army: with the details it has, it may become a Deathwing Captain.

Right, onto the army. From both orders, I received:

20 Anvil Industries Legs (robed and non-robed)

2 Anvil Autocannons

5 Anvil rifles

1 60mm base

1 pack of winter tufts

2 Mantic Forgefather Hailstorm Guns

The legs and guns are to be distributed amongst my Thousand Sons squads. At first, I thought they were too small for my Chaos Marines, but when compared t a normal marine, they are fine. I think it is because my new unit sorcerer is a giant.

Custom autocannon on the left, Anvil Industries one on the right

The Autocannons are absolutely beautiful, industrial brutal looking, and most importantly, fit space marines. I need a fourth autocannon to complete the squad, which I am thinking of utilising at Wartorn's 40k tournament.

Next up, its the new base. This is one of Microart's 60mm temple bases. I've always wanted this type of base for my dreadnoughts, and now that I've found a UK seller with good prices, I can now add one to my Contemptor. I have had to replace one of the feet so the Dreadnought stood level, but Contemptor Dreadnoughts come with two pairs of feet (flat and stepping) and I kept them, so it's all good.

The last piece of the puzzle is those Hailstorm guns. I have an interesting plan for these. After reviewing them soon, and with some changes, they will become chaotic versions of Space Marine Rapier Guns, running a unit of three (with my old Scratch-build). I know Chaos Space Marines cannot use them normally, but I plan to create custom rules for them, for use in friendly games and Apocalypse matches. They're certainly interesting models, and I can be happy to review them.

Tuesday, 23 April 2013

The team of Thousand Sons gathered in a line facing the half built monster of a vehicle. The three marines of no appreciable rank stood still and silent, their bodies long since turning to ask and warp-fire, soulless automatons awaiting command of the fourth marine there; Singyr. Singyr's warp abilities and dark mechanicus training were exceptional, before the purge and absorption of the Scions of Medrengard squad. His hidden talents of sorcery were noticed by the Thousand Sons the war band had lost to, and was the only one to be spared, providing he swore a new allegiance to Magnus and to Tzeentch. His abilities with the machine and daemon-binding were noted by Khotep, and he had been 'chosen' for this important and dangerous task."Singyr", Spoke Khotep, but with a voice not quite his own. "You are to bind your brethren to this battle engine. their souls must join with the soul of the machine, they must unite for true skill in battle. Your squad is now to crew this mighty war-engine, and your are to command it and them in battle. Not a single mistake may be made when incanting from the sacred scrolls of binding, if so, your soul and body will be devoured by the denizens of the dark palace of K'kalapprax for an infinite lifetimes, your being reincarnated again and again to experience the same torment. Understood?Singyr remained silent. He was honoured by the privilege of being one with the machine in battle, something his former master had strived for, but he was silently fearful of failure.

Last time, I had made some serious progress on the turret and some on the hull. Today it is the same form of progress, and the turret is starting to look like a turret, and not a slightly lumpy dome.

The other side of the turret has received a layer of Milliput and a sand. The edge has been neatened up with some trim, although the new side work needs adding to so it is the same shape and size as the original side. The only bit in need of a Milliput late is the top.

The main work has been the ammo box. This was an incredibly awkward shape to work on. Not just due to the top plate, but also because I had to introduce angles to curves: adding a square structure to a rounded edge. Thankfully, one of my new tools, a circle cutter, helped massively in creating the essential side panels.

The overall shape is something similar to the original. Not identical, but close enough. I have has to remove two of the spiked rings covering the Hellfire Reactor, as they were blocking the turret's rotation.

I've added magnets behind the back panel; why you ask? It's for when I want to use this tank as a Fellglaive and use the Volkite Cannon. This allows me to also swap out the ammo box. I will be creating a Voliite power pack, which can be popped on top of the standard ammo box and be removed easily, along with a magnetised cannon, without the need for an entirely new turret.

I've also been adding some trim to the hull. Not much mind, but it is starting to take shape. The first gun has been added; a Demolisher Cannon, left over from one of my old Leman Russ tanks.

That is all for today, but if you want to see how this project has developed, I have listed all previous posts about the Chaos Fellblade bellow for ease of searching:

Saturday, 20 April 2013

Prepare for the burning of rubber and the bark of bolt-shells, the bikers are now complete. Feast your eyes on their gleaming blue-metal steeds, and awesome head wear.

After a lot of time being partly build (or un-built in the case of the unit champion) I've got around to finishing these guys off.

A major advancement in the speed of finishing my models Army Painter coloured spray (available at hobby stores and at a discount from everyone's favourite Plaguebearer), Ultramarine Blue. This had sped up the process of painting the main colour on my models, as it cuts out at least three layers, and goes on a lot smoother. It is a little bit brighter than my other models, but with a bit of darkening with shades, and applying the other colours, its a lot less noticeable: you would have to spend some time telling the difference.

The conversions on these guys were fairly straightforward. The wing-like fairings of the standard Dark Vengeance bikes were replaced with the fins from Warp Talon jump packs, to give a more chaotic feel. The torsos are from Chaos Space Marines and Possessed marines, and the heads are from Thousand Sons. On two of the bikes, a small piece of Chaos brass etch was added to the back fender.

I did encounter issues with adding the power packs, which were partially blocked by the bikes' seats. In the end, I trimmed some vents off the power packs and a bit of the seat, so they could be added to the models.

I've armed by champion with a power maul. This piece was a normal maul taken from the Forsaken box, which happens to have a ton of cool and useful parts.

The next stage for these guys is to add even more bikes; to bring the unit up to 7-10. I plan to add two more Plasma Gunners, and an icon bearer. I'm deciding between styles, either normal Chaos bikes, Imperial bikes, or the new Forgeworld ones. If anyone is selling some bikes cheap though I'll be interested, contact me if you are.

Thursday, 18 April 2013

Biomancy: the name suggests messing with God's handiwork, and quite a lot of the powers in this section do involve fiddling with the statistics of yours (and enemy) soldiers, in order to get an edge in your favour. Whilst many powers from this discipline are not direct attacks in the way that most Pyromancy powers are, the effects they cause can help in dealing or receiving damage later on in the game. Still, there are a few shooty ones I will discuss too.

Smite

This is Biomancy's Primaris power, and is quite different to a power of a similar name (I think) in one of the Codexes. With AP2 and four shots, it is a very nice power to use if facing terminators, even if it is only as strong as a bolter. Chances are some will make it through to hurt the heavily armoured. It does require you to be close, as it only has a 12" range. Best kept for Psykers who can handle themselves in combat, or have some combat capable goons with them.

Iron arm

Finally, my Primaris Psyker can at least handle the first round...

A handy buff power which hulks-out out the psyker with D3 extra strength, toughness and eternal warrior. This is very handy for weaker models, and exceptionally good on stronger ones too. As it cannot be stopped by a Deny The Witch roll, it can help in any challenges you might be forced into, and surprising when you opponent realises your Primaris Psyker is now Strength 8 (with a force maul) and Toughness six. Eternal Warrior will help against force weapons (or double strength weapons if you roll low).

Enfeeble

Essentially the opposite of Iron Arm, this curse power reduces the fighting strength of enemy units by one, and causes all terrain crossed by the target to be difficult going. This can help weaken enemy chargers against your shooting, and slow them down on their way to your front line. Helpful if you have to take a charge too, as it reduces the damage they can cause to you.

Endurance

This power grants feel no pain, it will not die and relentless to your models targeted. It will not die is only really useful for multi wound models, but the other two are very handy in granting extra resilience. Relentless is very handy for heavy weapons carriers, so maybe it is worth casting in on units such as Havocs, who will then be able to move and shoot with no penalties, and even charge if they have to. The power is handy in many cases, from boosting objective holding units' resilience, to changing the chances in close combat as attacks bounce off your second save and wounds reknit themselves.

Life leech

Does what it says on the tin. If you manage to kill a model, you get back one wound if you cause at least one wound that goes unsaved. Note that this wont let you go above your starting wounds characteristic. It is short range, with with str 6 and AP2 it does have a good chance of working well, though it is best using it against single wounded models.

Warp Speed

Warp Speed is similar to Iron Arm, but with different characteristics. This power boosts Attacks and Initiative by D3, and grants fleet of foot. This is very helpful in getting in extra hits, and in most cases before the enemy strikes. Another power which can be handy in a challenge. Note that the Initiative boost will not work on models with Unwieldy weapons such as Force Axes and Power Fists.

Haemorrhage

This power can be nasty for the enemy, particularly with low toughness models and bad rolling on thier part. Failed toughness tests cause a model to be killed, with no armour or cover saves. If this kills a model, another within 2" is selected to do the same, if they die, then another, and so on until a Toughness Test is passed, or everyone has had their brains come out of their noses. It does require a lot of luck to be effective, but if the enemy is weak, then chances are it'll do so much more. No armour saves means it also has a good chance at damaging Terminators and the like. This power can be more effective if combined with Enfeeble in the same turn.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

In the process of beginning a crusade to refurbish my tired looking troops choices, I also set about upgrading one of my Chaos Contemptor Dreadnoughts. I'll probably get to work on the other one, but for now I'll be working on the one.

The dreadnought in its former condition

It's main change would is to its armament. It started off with a Heavy Conversion Beamer, Power Fist and Plasma Blaster. Nice weapons, but it seems not the best when combined. The blaster has an 18" range, and the Heavy Conversion beamer needs to be far away to be most effective. So in order to get the most use out of the Plasma Blaster (which is in-built and the hardest to remove anyway), I've re-armed the Contemptor with a Multi-Melta.
It was make with the Multi-Melta left over from my Jet-bike lord, with other spares and plasticard. to look similar to the official arm. It still needs some further details and cabling.
It has been magnetised with smaller, easier to install magnets, so I can swap it out for other potent weapons such as the butcher cannon, which I plan to make later on.

The trim is iconic to Chaos Marines, and it only seemed fitting to add some to this. It still needs some more details and rivets before it can be called finished.

I've also decided to add a havoc launcher. More guns is always a good thing, and its twin linked blast will be very handy if I'm stuck fighting hordes and not tanks. I was planning to use a Kromlech Zephyr missile launcher, but my club had none in stock, nor the Maxmini alternative.

They did however have these, Bronze pattern jump packs. And in a way to please any Orky Mek, I came up with a cunnin' plan. I've reversed the jump pack, and stuck hollow circles to the other side, where the exhausts would have gone, and hey presto, big death-spewing havoc launcher! I did fear that it would be too big, but feedback on the Facebook page convinced me it was suitable for the role. It looks suitably intimidating and functions. I am thinking about adding a few pointed ended inside the circles, to act as the missiles.

Saturday, 13 April 2013

Having looked at my recent projects (Land Raider Proteus, Forgefiend, and WIP Tartaros Terminators, to name but a few), I had the feeling that my older units, i.e. my squads of basic Thousand Sons, were looking a tad...dated. I've decided to improve on my models, by giving them a fresh new look.

But first, I had to demolish them. Painful to do, but necessary for the greater good of having epic models. The whole set was sprayed in Fairy Power Spray to remove the paint. Whilst it hasn't removed all the paint, it has removed enough layers to regain some of the details, and the crucial metal parts, such as headdresses, are completely void of paint!

Now, at this point I would have shown you some sexy new parts I had ordered. But thanks to an unnamed UK postal service, I haven't got them yet, and judging by how they handled my other 40k related package, I wont be getting it at all. Back to square one it seems. I should be picking up a few parts from my gaming club on Monday. Not my first choice of parts, but they're still pretty good.

I also had the idea (and the need) to create some of my own parts. Having found a list of great tutorials, I've set to work on creating some bespoke items of armour. My favourite so far is the above helmets, of which have been sculpted to look like Mk III and Mk IV helmets. Considering they're my first real attempts, they're not too bad. The Mk III still needs its brow, but other than that its game-worthy. I've also had a go at modifying other power armour sections. A pair of legs are starting to look more like MK V plate, and the backpacks on the right are inspired by MK VI.

I've also been working on what could be a new unit sorcerer or icon bearer. The top of the body is a cut-down grey knight (used in a previous attempt to make chaos Chosen), joined with the legs taken from a Huron Blackheart model I wasn't planning on using any time soon. The overall pose appears to be one of a gentle swagger, an air of arrogance and confidence comes off this model. As well as this guy, I plan to reuse a bunch of my older models, including a converted Justicar and Crowe (right).

What the Contemptor used to look like...

It's not just the infantry who are getting a new look. One of my Contemptor Dreadnoughts is recieving some custom trim around the leg, knee and shoulder plates, to tie it in with the Chaos Space Marines it fights alongside. You will notice in the next picture that it is missing its Conversion Beamer. I've decided to change the weapon, as it was not working to its full potential when combined with a Plasma Blaster. The beamer will be used though, and I'll probably magnetise it for use on either Contemptor. To get better use from the in-built plasma blaster, I'll be using another complimentary short-range weapon, perhaps a Multi-Melta or Butcher Cannon. I've also thought about adding a Havoc launcher, so I need to find a suitable part for that.

That is all for this week, but come back Tuesday for another 40k update.

Thursday, 11 April 2013

It should be obvious by now, I love Thousand Sons. I've played the army twice in my gaming history (the Chaos marines evolving from Sons, to Iron Warriors, to Black Legion, to a custom war band, and then coming full circle). They form the core of my force, and are present in almost every game I play. I've decided to re-build my models and improve on their design. So, whilst I wait for my unnamed unreliable UK postal service to deliver my parts, here are my thoughts on how best to use squads of Thousand Sons.

First off, you will need to know that you must run a Sorcerer of Tzeentch to use Thousand Sons as a troops choice, otherwise they are an elites. But with improvements made to sorcerers, this isn't entirely a bad thing. Also, if you play thematically, you will have a Sorcerer anyway. You may notice that they have got a bit cheaper in their latest codex. They still cost 23 points per marines, but the price of the unit sorcerer has come down, and that's where the savings are made. Sorcerer's cost 60 points on their own last codex, and in the new one, they work out at...58 points. Well, not that much cheaper when it's said like that, but remember that after the 60 points, you had to pay for a mandatory power, costing up to 25 points for the good ones (bolt of change was pretty much your only option for anti armour). In the new codex, powers are free.

However, they must be taken from the Tzeentch discipline. Less variety, but there are some nice powers in there, including a gift granting buff power, an altered Doombolt, and a poisoned AP2 flame template. The primaris power is one of my favourites, and half of the time you will want to swap for it. A random strength blast template with a range of 24" (longest range Tzeentch power). It also has a more potent version of soul-blaze, causing D3 extra hits for EACH model killed. Extremely effective against weaker armoured opponents, where this bonus can soon stack up.

Thanks to the rules changes to Slow and Purposeful, Thousand Sons are not as, well, slow as they used to be, and always count as moving 6". You will probably still want to invest in some Rhinos, as foot-slogging over long distances isn't advised, even if you can take the shots to the face and live. They are still able to shoot and charge, but I would only charge if:
A-the unit to be charged is severely weakened from enemy fire.
B-the unit is weaker than you.
C-it's to avoid a charge from the enemy, and deny them a charge bonus.

Even if Thousand Sons aren't that hard hitting, they can take more punishment from power weapons than any other unit in the codex. They can make great stalling units, allowing other units to move up and avoid the heavy hitters. Laugh as you stall thunder hammer/storm shield Terminators and Dreadnoughts, as half of their attacks should bounce off a 4+ invulnerable save. Also, because fearless has changed again, they will never run away when they loose combat.

The main bonus of Thousand Sons, since 5th edition, has always been their AP3 bolters. They still get them, and with the average cover save going down to 5+, they are more likely to kill. The reduced cover makes you own 4+ invulnerable save more worthwhile. Another boost you can take is the Icon of flame for 15 points. It's your only option, but it can help against weaker horde units, as it grands the squad soul blaze. Not a particularly powerful ability, but trust me, it does help in thinning down units. Managed to take down a Meganob with it once, so it with good luck it can help in all situations.

So, with these tips, you can now get the most from your blue bodiless automatons of Chaos.

Tuesday, 9 April 2013

Forgeworld Open Day: the gamer's equivalent to the mystical Wonka chocolate factory of dreams and wonder. Its doors were opened to the public, and like the factory of the confectionery counterpart, was full of magnificent, marvellous, and non-mass market products and creations for the visitors and the internet to lap up, awaiting their inevitable release. Although I sadly was unable to attend, I was scouring the web fanatically to gather pics for the Facebook followers. Today though, I feel like going into great detail on a few of my favourites.

Horus Heresy Land Speeder

This was the first I caught in my internet-net, and probably one of my favourites. Following the contours and shapes of the Scimitar Jet-bikes, it fits in very nicely the the aesthetic of the Horus Heresy and its treasure trove of good things. I was thinking of getting one to make an interesting chariot type thing for a lord or sorcerer, until I realised how big it was. My it's a beast!

From looking at the images, you can see that it's at least twice the length of the jet-bike, and about three times wider. In other words, it's closer in size to a battle tank than the normal plastic skimmer, and will even dwarf the larger Dark Angels one. If I were to get one, it would make a very interesting count as. I was thinking Heldrake, but due to its bulk and armament, it may possibly end up a count-as Predator battle tank.

Rapier variant weapon systems

Variety is the space of life, and it seems Forgeworld has sprinkled a heavy amount over the Rapier laser battery. From what I've gather from the history of 40k, there was only ever one variant in the bye-gone days of early 40k. But Forgeworld has decided to re-write history, and introduce two cool variants, a quad Heavy Bolter version and a Heavy Graviton Cannon one. Both of these new weapons platforms look pretty neat; I have been thinking of making come chaos versions of rapiers, and I may include some of these newer types in my conversions. Triple Graviton Cannons could be interesting.

Dread Maw

I have no idea what this thing is, but its awesome looking! Who doesn't like big scary desert snakes (except maybe the people it fancies for lunch). My WHFB knowledge is limited, but I suspect this beast is within the Monstrous Arcanum rulebook. If not, it maybe coming with the next Warhammer Forge book.

Fellglaive

Again, Forgeworld has been sprinkling a generous amount of variety over the sculpting team, and we now have a variant of the Fellblade, the cleverly named Fellglaive (hang on, isn't a glaive a type of blade?). This version is armed with what looks like an enormous Volkite Cannon. From what I've herd about the power of volkite weapons, this is uber good. Also, seeing as its the only change to the Fellblade (and the turret back-box), I'm now tempted to magnetise my main cannon, to let me swap between the killy Accelerator Cannon, and the killy looking and sounding Volkite gun

Sons of Horus Contemptor Dreadnought

I've been saying to myself over and over, "Do not buy a third Contemptor". I'm not sure I can say no any longer. This thing is suitably awesome and detailed, many details look very chaotic. I'm also a big fan of the shoulder pads, one of which has a stylised eye which looks suspiciously like the eye on Thousand Sons models. With a bit of work, this thing could make a fantastic model to lead the other two into an epic battle.

that is all for now, but you you do want to know my opinions of the other reveals (such as the Executioner squad, the Troll mother or new Whirlwind), come over and chat on the Facebook page.